Dual Degree

In a world increasingly challenged by new developments in technology and science, it is particularly important that those most intimately engaged in the creation and implementation of technology have skills that go beyond technical competence and the opportunity to reflect deeply on the world their technical work will transform. The Reilly Dual Degree Program in Arts and Letters/Engineering is designed to make this possible.

Established in the 1960s, the program enables engineering students to combine professional training in a field of engineering with richer expertise in humanistic, artistic, and social scientific disciplines than normally would be possible within the confines of a four-year engineering degree program.

To achieve its goals, the AL/ENG Program requires five full academic years of study. However, those who complete the program receive, in turn, two degrees, a bachelor of science degree from the College of Engineering and a bachelor of arts degree from the College of Arts and Letters.

“An engineer with a strong liberal arts background is a valuable asset in today’s business world. You’re going to stand out because you will have the ability to use both sides of your brain.” —Craig Simon, chief operating officer of Titan Industries, Inc. and 1989 dual degree alumnus (mechanical engineering and history).

Enrollment in the Program

Students may join the AL/ENG Program any point in their studies beginning in their sophomore year (if they can reasonably complete both programs). Ideally one should join prior to the end of sophomore year.

To enroll in the program, students should contact Anna Geltzer (442 Geddes, 574-631-0251), write a short statement of interest, and fill out a registration form.

Students then meet with their Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Letters, and with Assistant Dean Michael Ryan in the College of Engineering, who will assist them in determining their schedules. The student is then responsible for taking the completed forms to the Registrar. After enrollment in the program, regular consultation with the deans, as well as the student's faculty advisers in their Engineering and Arts and Letters majors, is strongly advised.

Financial Aid

All students accepted into the Reilly Dual Degree Program in Arts and Letters/Engineering are Reilly Scholars and, through the generosity of the Reilly Endowment, gain access to five years of full eligibility for financial aid. This is administered through the Notre Dame Office of Financial Aid and includes “preferential packaging” — a heightened effort to provide students with grant rather than loan assistance — during the final years.

In 1985, an alumnus of the AL/ENG Program, Mr. John D. Reilly (BA 1963, BS Engineering 1964) established a scholarship in honor of his father to support students enrolled in the Reilly AL/EG Dual Degree Program.

The relatively high costs of a Notre Dame education can make the commitment to five, rather than four, years of academic study a difficult one. Students at Notre Dame enrolled in accredited five-year programs (e.g., architecture and AL/ENG) have the same entitlement to undergraduate financial aid from the University during their fifth year as they did during their first four years.

The Reilly Scholarship Program is in a position to further help by offering qualifying AL/ENG students scholarship dollars in place of non-scholarship financial aid (such as additional loans and/or campus employment). Priority for this "preferential packaging" continues to be on Reilly Scholars preparing to enter their fifth and final year in the AL/ENG Program; if funds permit, preferential packaging may be awarded to fourth-year students as well. In recent years, as many as 22 AL/ENG students annually have received Reilly Scholarship support.

Students who wish to be eligible for financial aid in the fifth year must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS PROFILE applications in April of their fourth year (as they may have done during their earlier years at Notre Dame).

Notre Dame's Office of Financial Aid administers the financial aid application and award processes for all five years, and students should contact Michael Riemke for more information, or to discuss their particular circumstances. We recommended that all fourth-year AL/ENG students submit the financial aid applications even if they have not previously qualified for University financial aid.